Manitoba Needs To Put Its Children First And Invest In Change

To thrive economically, Manitoba needs young people. Fortunately, our relatively high birth rate -- around 1.93 for every 1000 women -- combined with favourable immigration trends means that Manitoba's population will continue to grow.

However, if the success of a province can be captured by how well it prevents infant deaths, then statistics also tell us that we may be failing our children. For decades, Manitoba has consistently had the highest provincial infant mortality rate in Canada -- 5.9 for every 1000 live births in Manitoba versus 4.8 for every 1000 live births, nationally.

In public health, infant mortality is often viewed as a marker for a society's development, and Manitoba consistently falls to the bottom.

If we, as a province, continue to fail our children, we will quickly see our economic competitive edge dulled.

A report by the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy highlights that Manitoba also has one of the highest rates of children being taken into care in the world -- an alarming statistic that should signal to all policymakers and politicos that something needs to be done differently.

Clearly this is morally unacceptable -- but what's less often discussed is that failing our province's children also puts Manitoba in economic jeopardy. Unless something is done to turn around both our province's troublesome rates of infant mortality and the disturbing number of children being taken into custody each year, Manitoba will eventually find itself lagging in economic productivity.

If we, as a province, continue to fail our children, we will quickly see our economic competitive edge dulled.

Fortunately, there are opportunities for change. Manitoba is also producing some of the richest evidence on what could work to turn things around.

A Manitoba study recently published in Pediatrics found that the province's Healthy Baby Program, which gives low-income mothers a modest income supplement of $81 per month -- with no strings attached -- is associated with several improved birth outcomes. This modest economic boost resulted in fewer low birth weight and premature births -- both of which put infants at risk for dying before their first birthday.

As a society, we must strive to ensure that all children have an equal opportunity to have a healthy and successful life.

Another Manitoba study found that the province's Families First Home Visiting Program -- which offers home visiting support to families with children from pregnancy to school entry, at no cost to the families -- is associated with reductions in the number of children being taken into care, hospitalizations for child injury due to maltreatment and improved overall health outcomes.

Both of these programs provide us with a glimpse of what is possible. But we can still do better and we must do better. Unfortunately, these two programs do not reach all pregnant women and families in need. We need to expand these evidence-based programs to reach all families across the province.

Also, while these two programs do much to support families who are living on the margins, they are not able to address all of the numerous and complex challenges -- like poverty, historical trauma and colonization -- that these families still face. Both the new provincial and federal governments need to work together to implement programs that address such challenges and enact the Calls to Action outlined in the Truth and Reconciliation Report.

As a society, we must strive to ensure that all children have an equal opportunity to have a healthy and successful life.

We are at a critical junction as a province. We have the opportunity to make real changes to support children's health. Our new government can leave a real and lasting legacy -- significantly reducing the infant mortality rate in our province to at least the Canadian average and drastically reducing the number of children taken into care.

In short, our new government is poised to work to ensure that all children have an equal shot at life. By providing families with the right types of support, we can turn our province around and even become a leader in child health outcomes.

It's time Manitoba provided the supports that struggling families need to continue to care for their children. Not only would this be something that previous governments have failed to achieve, but it would result in a healthier workforce that is better able to compete in this global market.

We have the evidence for how we can make a real difference; we just need to start putting that evidence to work.

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Best To Worst Poverty Rates In Canada

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Low-income population: 118,325
Population in private households for income status: 1,082,230

Low-income population: 101,235
Population in private households for income status: 867,090

Low-income population: 100,810
Population in private households for income status: 795,675

Low-income population: 24,035
Population in private households for income status: 189,740

Low-income population: 30,475
Population in private households for income status: 218,320

Low-income population: 72,590
Population in private households for income status: 502,595

Low-income population: 15,885
Population in private households for income status: 105,950

Low-income population: 57,980
Population in private households for income status: 384,335

Low-income population: 19,520
Population in private households for income status:189,740

Low-income population: 79,785
Population in private households for income status: 509,640

Low-income population: 108,125
Population in private households for income status: 649,995

Low-income population: 17,900
Population in private households for income status: 103,905

Low-income population: 9,495
Population in private households for income status: 55,150

Low-income population: 496,660
Population in private households for income status: 2,576,025

Low-income population: 6,665
Population in private households for income status: 33,310

Low-income population: 121,020
Population in private households for income status: 590,210

Low-income population: 15,715
Population in private households for income status: 76,025

Low-income population: 49,395
Population in private households for income status: 208,020

Low-income population: 425,380
Population in private households for income status: 1,612,640

NEXT: Celebs Who Were Born Impoverished

The country star grew up in deep poverty in Timmins, Ontario, where she also witnessed her stepfather abuse her mother. She describes in her memoir "From This Moment On" not having enough money to eat and going to school hungry.

Born as Demetria Gene Guynes, one of Hollywood's most recognizable faces grew up in trailer parks in Roswell, New Mexico, and moved over 30 times. She also dropped out of high school at age 16.

All his jokes aside, Jim Carrey has a dark past. The Canadian actor grew up in poverty and at 12 years old was forced to get an after-school factory job working eight hours per day. "My father lost his job when he was 51 and that was the real 'wow', the kick in the guts. We lived in a van for a while, and we worked all together as security guards and janitors," Carrey once said of the experience. His 2003 film "Bruce Almighty" grossed $484.6 million according to the Washington Times.

She played a privileged Upper East Side kid on the CW's "Gossip Girl," but Leighton Meester was actually born in jail to her mother Constance Meester, who was serving time for drug smuggling.

J.K. Rowling, now wealthier than the Queen of England thanks to her wildly successful "Harry Potter" series, has been open about her lower-middle class background, admitting that she also experienced harsher times. "I, too, have passed through a period of poverty in Britain and can understand some of those issues," she told NPR News in 2012. "I think I've had a very strange life."

Sarah Jessica Parker's life was not always as glamorous as it appears on "Sex and The City." She was born to a impoverished family in the small town of Nelsonville, Ohio, and began singing and acting partly to support her family. She is now worth $15 million, according to Forbes.

Winfrey's childhood was filled with enough turmoil to all but ensure she would never make it. She spent her early childhood living with her grandmother on a farm in Kosciusko, Miss., while her unwed teenage mother searched for work. She was reportedly sexually molested at an early age and worked as a housemaid. At 17 years old, Oprah got her first big break when she won the Miss Black Tennessee beauty pageant, launching her into a journalism job in Baltimore. The media mogul is now worth around $2.7 billion, according to Forbes.

The "My Heart Will Go On" powerhouse -- now worth a reported $400 million -- grew up the youngest of 14 children in a low-income French Canadian family. (Dad was an accordionist).
"I grew up in a very, very, very small house," Dion told Vanity Fair in 2012. "We weren't poor, but we never had money … We were given love and affection and support. What else did we need?"

Median Income For Women In Canada

The following data comes from Statistics Canada's 2011 National Household Survey.

Median income for men: $35,028
Average income for women: $29,775
Average income for men: $43,195

Median income for men: $30,961
Average income for women: $31,542
Average income for men: $40,965

Median income for men: $31,233
Average income for women: $37,015
Average income for men: $52,716

Median income for men: $32,887
Average income for women: $32,090
Average income for men: $44,800

Median income for men: $31,704
Average income for women: $35,618
Average income for men: $50,897

Median income for men: $35,666
Average income for women: $32,561
Average income for men: $45,725

Median income for men: $34,527
Average income for women: $32,306
Average income for men: $44,772

Median income for men: $35,042
Average income for women: $33,940
Average income for men: $48,258

Median income for men: $37,821
Average income for women: $32,830
Average income for men: $45,148

Median income for men: $35,776
Average income for women: $32,400
Average income for men: $44,342

Median income for men: $39,154
Average income for women: $33,398
Average income for men: $48,096

Median income for men: $36,117
Average income for women: $32,334
Average income for men: $43,858

Median income for men: $34,235
Average income for women: $33,792
Average income for men: $42,084

Median income for men: $40,913
Average income for women: $35,426
Average income for men: $52,018

Median income for men: $43,929
Average income for women: $37,100
Average income for men: $56,034

Median income for men: $45,781
Average income for women: $41,438
Average income for men: $68,928

Median income for men: $42,006
Average income for women: $38,488
Average income for men: $53,324

Median income for men: $46,513
Average income for women: $41,857
Average income for men: $58,318

Median income for men: $46,265
Average income for women: $45,636
Average income for men: $53,264

Median income for men: $66,153
Average income for women: $56,064
Average income for men: $73,225

Median income for men: $62,187
Average income for women: $63,456
Average income for men: $69,539

Highest-Paying Jobs That Don't Necessarily Need A Degree In Canada

Average salary $44,224.00

Average salary: $46,213.00

Yes, apparently they still have secretaries.
Average salary: $46,369.00

Average salary: $47,562.00

Average salary: $52,635.00
*Having some sort of certification in finance or business would likely help in this career, but isn't necessary.

Average salary: $53,017.00

Average salary: $54,048.00
*Though a degree isn't required, you may be at a disadvantage when searching for work as a recruiter against those with degrees in human resources.

Average salary: $54,279.00

Average salary: $56,640.00

Average salary: $58,033.00
*As with recruiters, you my be at a disadvantage in this field against those with a human resources degree.

Average salary: $62,526.00

Average salary: $81,349.00
*Adzuna explains: For some electrical engineering jobs, a degree is required, and for others it isn't — there are alternative professional qualifications.